BCCI bars players from SLPL, does not expect backlash

The BCCI has debarred Indian players from taking part in the Sri Lankan Premier League as the event is being organised by a "private party" based in Singapore instead of the island nation's Cricket Board.

The BCCI has debarred Indian players from taking part in the Sri Lankan Premier League as the event is being organised by a "private party" based in Singapore instead of the island nation's Cricket Board.

"We took the decision at an informal meeting of 18-20 members held yesterday that no Indian cricketer will be given permission to take part in the league as it is being organised by a private party based in Singapore. The Board's policy is not to allow players to take part in private party-organised tournaments," BCCI president Shashank Manohar said from Nagpur.

Manohar said that unless the Board gives them a No Objection Certificate, Indian players cannot participate in the Lankan Twenty20 league.

"We have to give them permission and we have decided not to give it. We have already informed the Sri Lanka Cricket about it," he elaborated.

The SLPL is to be conducted at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo from July 19 to August 4 and a dozen Indian cricketers, including Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel and R Ashwin who were part of the ODI series that ended recently in the West Indies, have shown their interest in taking part in it.

Manohar explained that all rights of the tournament, including signing of players' contracts, are vested with the Singapore-based private entity which he did not name.

The Board had initially decided to give the players the green signal to take part in the tournament as it was thought that the SLC was organising it, but once it found out that a private enterprise in Singapore has been given all the rights, the Board changed its stand.

Manohar said that he did not expect the Sri Lanka board to retaliate by refusing permission to the island nation's players from taking part in the BCCI-owned and run Indian Premier League. "I don't think so," he said.

Manohar also said that the BCCI was thinking of altering the zonal system of electing its president in future, but it was still work in progress.

"We have had discussions but it is still early days," the Nagpur-based lawyer said.

Manohar would be replaced at the helm by South Zone's N Srinivasan, the president-elect and current secretary, at the BCCI's next AGM scheduled in September.

Any changes to the existing system can come into place only after an amendment to the relevant clause through a SGM.

As per the existing rotation policy, it would be an administrator from the East Zone who would become the president of the BCCI after Srinivasan's term ends.